My new and improved fitness area.

A couple of months after the car accident wherein a utility truck tangled with me (I’m completely innocent in this one), I was persuaded to buy a recumbent bicycle. While my injuries weren’t serious, they felt like it. It was serious enough to involve weeks of physical therapy and I was tired of the constant interruption in my day to stop what I was doing and heave my aching body in the direction of the physical therapist’s office. Since a good deal of my therapy involved bicycle riding and yoga-like moves, I resolved to just get my own bike and resume my yoga practice.

The yoga went well.

Initially, I liked the bike. One of my complaints about exercise equipment is that it is ugly and noisy. The bike is ugly, but silent. (Why can’t I have something that looks like an antique bike? With a big willow basket? [Hi, Granny Sue!] Wrought iron wheels, carved mahogany pedals? Why do they have to be ugly?)

I love the silence of it. When I get it really going, it makes a whirring noise that is all white noise. Unfortunately, the effect is I pedal slower and slower the deeper into the meditative state I go.

As my recovery has unfolded, I spend less and less time on the bike. It shows. Due in part to the Misery Diet, even my flab has flab. Since bathing suit season is upon us, I’ve been trying to motivate myself to return to the bike in earnest in lieu of my lackadaisical fitness regime (mutiny?) of the past several months (okay, year).

It’s been slow getting started. I thought dusting the bike would be a good start. So. I dusted. And then admired it for a few weeks. Then it was time to dust again.

Nifty book holder and fan.

I thought a book would help. So I put a book on the book holder thingie. For another couple of weeks, I admired how clever it was to include a book holder.  Then I remembered that silly looking thing above the book is a fan.  If I do actually work up a sweat on the thing, I can air dry.  Such convenience.  (I wonder how it works on nail polish?)

Then I noticed the windows were filthy and there were cobwebs in the corner. So, I de-webbed and cleaned the windows. My they sparkle. So I sat on the stairs and admired the pristine view through the window.

While admiring the oak tree, it occurred to me that a little candlelight might not go amiss.

Candlelight is so nice to drink a nice Merlot by.

Summer twilight by Waterford.

I’m pedaling pretty slowly in my new and improved fitness area. But I’m pedaling.  I’m pretending it’s wrought iron, intricate caning, and carved mahogany.  Every so often, I do my Queen Elizabeth wave to birds visiting the feeder for one last time before nightfall.  It’s a good day to be me.

You do things your way, I’ll do it mine. I am a hedonist.

[Maybe a fruit and cheese tray. . .some Chopin. . .mango vanilla incense. . .a butler to check my heart rate. . .]